Ice buggy

ABSTRACT

A small, inexpensive, lightweight vehicle in the nature of a wheeled buggy is provided for movement over frozen bodies of water such as ponds and lakes, with the vehicle being powered by a gasoline engine which is alternatively used to power an ice auger.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U. S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 60/780,254, filed on Mar. 8, 2006, which is hereby incorporatedby reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to vehicles for movement over frozen bodies ofwater and to augers for use by ice fishermen for boring holes throughthe ice.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the past, holes have been formed in the ice for ice fishing by theuse of ice chisels or hand augers, a task which was tiring and tedious,especially with ice sometimes as thick as 1 to 2 feet.

More recently, in response to the fast growing popularity of ice fishingas a winter sport, a wide variety of power augers has become availablefor use by ice fishermen for drilling holes in the ice to set up fishingequipment such as ice tilts and the like.

Snowmobiles are well known for use as a means for motorizedtransportation over snow and ice.

It is also known to drive an auger by using the power generated by atractor or snow mobile engine, or by an electric power source such as abattery, as disclosed in the following prior art U.S. patents:

Nos. 3,602,321 3,662,844 3,705,632 3,732,751 3,828,861 5,330,014

However, vehicles such as tractors and snowmobiles are expensive and arenot readily available to the average ice fisherman. In addition, themeans for connecting augers thereto is complicated and requires specialtools and equipment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a primary object of the invention to provide a small, inexpensive,lightweight, wheeled vehicle in the nature of a buggy for movement overfrozen bodies of water such as ponds and lakes, with the vehicle beingpowered by a gasoline engine which is also used to power an ice auger.

Modern power augers are formed in two parts, with a gasoline engine ontop having handles for holding the device during drilling operations andan ice auger on the bottom for penetrating the ice, with the parts beingdetachably joined together by such as a screw or pin which extendsthrough the motor shaft of the engine and through the shaft of theauger.

With the invention hereof, the gasoline engine is separated from the iceauger and detachably connected to the drive shaft of the buggy forpowering the vehicle, thus providing the ice fisherman with verydesirable mobility on large ponds and lakes.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an ice buggy which isvery affordable since it can be sold without a gasoline engine, in viewof the fact that most modern ice fishermen already own a power auger.

The ice buggy hereof includes: a frame for supporting a pair of spacedwheels mounted on a rear axle; a forward ski; a seat for the operator, afoot-operated “T” bar for steering the ski; a drive shaft operativelyconnected to the rear axle; and a gasoline engine detachably connectedto the drive shaft for rotating the rear axle and the wheels to propelthe ice buggy.

The wheels of the ice buggy are preferably of large diameter, such as 20inch bicycle wheels, in order to provide ample clearance between thebuggy frame and the ice.

In use, the gasoline engine and ice auger are separated from each otherand the gasoline engine is placed on the drive shaft of the buggy. Theoperator sits on the seat and starts the engine to rotate the driveshaft causing the rear wheels to move the buggy over the ice while theoperator steers the buggy by moving the ski through manipulation of thefoot operated “T” bar.

When the desired destination on the ice is reached, movement of thebuggy is stopped and the engine is turned off. The engine is thenremoved from the buggy drive shaft and reattached to the ice auger toconvert the unit back to a power auger which can be used to drill holesin the ice.

In a modified form of the invention, a hand brake is provided forstopping movement of the ice buggy; steering assist means is providedfor aiding in steering the ice buggy; and a seat support is providedwith a convenience shelf for transporting articles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, top perspective view of an ice buggy embodyinga first form of the invention with a gasoline engine attached to the icebuggy drive shaft;

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the ice buggy of FIG. 1 with thegasoline engine removed from the ice buggy drive shaft;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a power auger incorporating agasoline engine of the type shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, exploded, fragmentary, front perspective view ofthe ice auger, gasoline engine and its motor shaft, and connecting pinof the power auger of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, top perspective view of the driveshaft of the ice buggy of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, front perspective view showing themotor shaft of the gasoline engine of FIGS. 1 and 4 partially engagedwith the ice buggy drive shaft of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary, front perspective view of the beltand pulley drive means of the ice buggy of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary, top perspective view of the rearaxle and rear pulley of the drive means of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary, top perspective view of the frontski and steering T-bar of the ice buggy of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of an ice buggy embodying a secondform of the invention with a gasoline engine attached to the buggy driveshaft and the ice buggy incorporating a modified frame, steering assistmeans and brake means;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged, fragmentary, side perspective view of the icebuggy of FIG. 10 further incorporating an exhaust tube leading from thegasoline engine;

FIG. 12 is a top perspective view of the ice buggy of FIG. 10 with thegasoline engine removed from the ice buggy drive shaft and the seatshown in a collapsed position;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged, fragmentary, side perspective view of the icebuggy of FIG. 10 showing the seat mounting means;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged, fragmentary, bottom perspective view of the icebuggy of FIG. 10 showing the brake means;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged, fragmentary, rear perspective view of the icebuggy of FIG. 10; and

FIG. 16 is an enlarged, fragmentary, bottom perspective view of the icebuggy of FIG. 12, with the gasoline engine removed and the seat shown ina collapsed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring first to FIGS. 1-9, an ice buggy embodying a first form of theinvention is generally indicated by 10 and includes a frame 12 whichsupports the following: ski means 14; spaced rear wheels 16 and 18mounted on an axle 20; a seat 22; a steering T-bar 24; an ice buggydrive shaft generally indicated by 26 which is powered by a gasolineengine 100; and belt and pulley drive means generally indicated by 28for operatively connecting drive shaft 26 to axle 20.

Gasoline engine 100 is otherwise and alternatively part of a powerauger, generally indicated by 101, of the type shown in FIG. 3, used todrive an ice auger 102 and is provided with handles 104 for grasping theunit during use.

As best seen in FIG. 4, gasoline engine 100 and ice auger 102 aredetachably interconnected by a stud or bolt 106 which extends throughprovided openings in a motor shaft 108 of gasoline engine 100 andthrough a main shaft 110 of ice auger 102.

Frame 12 of ice buggy 10 is preferably fabricated from metal or asimilar strong, rigid material, is triangular in plan and includes atransverse rear rail 30 and side rails 32 and 34 each connected at oneend by corner plates 36 to an end of rear rail 30. Rear rail 30 and siderails 32 and are preferably of square, hollow cross section, with siderails 32 and 34 extending angularly inwardly from rear rail 30 to meetat their forward ends where they are connected together by an apex plate38 which also forms a support for ski means 14 and steering T-bar 24 inmanner to be described.

Frame 12 is reinforced by a trio of spaced, central rails 40 whichextend transversely between and are fixed at their opposite ends to siderails 32 and 34 and is further reinforced by spaced, support rails 42which extend longitudinally between and are fixed at their opposite endsto rear rail 30 and to the rearmost central rail 40.

Seat 22 is positioned forwardly of frame rear rail 30 and is supportedupwardly of support rails 42 by pairs of upright rails 44 which aredisposed at each side of the seat and are connected at their lower endsto support rails 42.

Rear wheels 16 and 18 are fixed to the opposite ends of axle 20 which ispositioned immediately forwardly of frame rear rail 30 and rearwardly ofseat 22,with wheel 16 being disposed immediately outwardly of side rail32 and wheel 18 being disposed immediately outwardly of side rail 34.

Rear wheels 16 and 18 are preferably of large diameter, such as 20 inchbicycle wheels, in order to provide ample clearance between frame 12 andthe ice therebelow. Chains 19 are provided on each wheel 16 and 18 forimproved traction.

Axle 20 is journaled centrally of its length in a first pair of spacedpillow block bearings 46 fixed to support rails 42 and is journaledadjacent its ends in a second pair of spaced pillow block bearings 48,each fixed to a corner plate 36.

Ice buggy drive shaft 26 is vertically-disposed approximately centrallyof frame 12 forwardly of seat 22 and is journaled at its lower end in aflange bearing 49, best seen in FIG. 7, fixed to a mounting plate 50which extends longitudinally between and is adjustably secured to a pairof central rails 40 by spaced pairs of bolts 52 which extend upwardlyfrom the central rails and through spaced pairs of slots 54 in plate 50,with the bolts having nuts 56 threaded thereon.

The position of drive shaft 26 relative to frame 12 may be changed byloosening nuts 56, sliding mounting plate 50 longitudinally relative tobolts 52 and securing the mounting plate in desired position bytightening nuts 56, for purposes to appear.

Belt and pulley drive means 28 includes a horizontally oriented drivepulley 58 secured to drive shaft 26 immediately above flange bearing 49,a vertically oriented follower pulley 60 fixed to axle 20 between thefirst pair of pillow block bearings 46 and a belt 62 entrained aroundpulleys 60 and 62. Tension on belt 62 may be adjusted by slidingmounting plate 50 longitudinally forwardly or rearwardly.

As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 5, drive shaft 26 has a circular, upstandingboss 64 fixed to its upper free end and coaxial therewith. Boss 64 has acentral bore 66 therein which is provided with a vertically extending,semi-circular slot 68 in its wall.

This construction permits the easy assembly of gasoline engine 100 ontodrive shaft 26 of the ice buggy.

Following separation of engine 100 from auger 102 of power auger 101 byremoval of stud 106, the stud is reinserted in motor shaft 108 so as toextend transversely outwardly therefrom. Gasoline engine 100 is thengrasped by handles 104 and, as shown in FIG. 6, motor shaft 108 isinserted into central bore 66 of boss 64 and slid downwardly so thatstud 106 is engaged in slot 68, with downward movement being stoppedupon engagement of engine 100 with the upper face of boss 64.

Thus, when gasoline engine 100 is started, motor shaft 108 is rotatedcausing stud 106 to bear on slot 68 of boss 64 thereby setting upconcomitant rotation of ice buggy drive shaft 26, belt and pulley drivemeans 28 and axle 20 to rotate wheels 16 and 18 to propel the ice buggy.

With an operator seated in seat 22, and grasping handles 104 of gasolineengine 100, steering of the ice buggy is accomplished by foot pressureexerted on T-bar 24 which is operatively connected to the upper end of ashaft 70 which extends vertically through and is mounted for rotationrelative to apex plate 38 of frame 12 and is connected at its lower endto ski means 14.

When the desired destination is reached on the ice, gasoline engine 100is turned off and its motor shaft 108 is removed from engagement in bore66 of boss 64 of ice buggy drive shaft 26 by grasping the handles 104 ofthe engine and lifting upwardly.

Stud 106 may then be used to reattach gasoline engine 100 to ice auger102, at which time power auger 101 may be used to bore holes in the iceby activating the gasoline engine and grasping handles 104 for guidingthe auger during drilling operations.

Referring now to FIGS. 10-16, a modified ice buggy generally indicatedby 200 includes: brake means 211; a modified frame 212; steering assistmeans 224; a modified seat support means 240; and a gasoline engineexhaust means 250.

Ice buggy 200 is otherwise substantially similar to ice buggy 10 ofFIGS. 1-9.

Frame 212, which is preferably fabricated from metal or a similarstrong, rigid material, is similar to frame 12 of ice buggy 10 and istriangular in plan and includes a transverse rear rail 230 of lesserlength than the length of rear rail 30 of frame 12, and side rails 232and 234 each connected at one end by corner plates 236 to one end ofrear rail 230 rail.

Side rails 232 and 234 extend angularly inwardly from rear rail 230 tomeet at their forward ends where they are connected by an apex plate 238which also forms a support for ski means 14 and steering T-bar 24 inmanner as previously described with reference to ice buggy 10.

The shorter length of rear rail 230 of frame 212 permits axle 20, whichextends between rear wheels 16 and 18, to be supported by only one pairof spaced pillow block bearings 248 fixed to each corner plate 236, asopposed to the two pair of pillow block bearings 46 and 48 of ice buggy10.

As best seen in FIG. 14, brake means 211 is pivotably connected to frame212 immediately below seat 22 and includes a handle 213 fixed to a freeend 215 a of an L-shaped pivot rod 215 having an opposite end whichdefines a cross arm 215 b which extends transversely between and ismounted for rotative movement relative to brackets 217 fixed to thelower surface of each frame side rail 232 and 234.

A brake arm 219 extends rearwardly from pivot rod 215 and is fixed atone of its ends centrally of cross arm 215 b and has an upwardly curvedouter free end 221. A stud 223 is provided on brake arm 219 intermediateits length and extends outwardly and downwardly therefrom.

The brake means 211 is operated by grasping handle 213 and pulling itupwardly, causing brake arm 219 to be rotated downwardly to bring stud223 of brake arm 219 into engagement with the ice to bring the movingice buggy to a stop.

The central rail 40, longitudinal support rails 42 and upright rails 44of ice buggy 10 are replaced in ice buggy 200 by seat support means,generally indicated by 240, fabricated from sheet metal or similarstrong material, which is fixed to the upper horizontal surface of frame212.

Seat support means 240, which is best seen in FIG. 13, includes a pairof spaced, upright side walls 242 and 244 which are fixed at their lowerends to side rails 232 and 234 respectively and are spanned at theirupper ends by a flat upper wall 246 to which seat 22 is mounted.

A portion of upper wall 246 extends rearwardly from seat 22 to provide ashelf 246 a for supporting such as a carrying case or miscellaneousarticles, not shown.

Steering assist means 224 comprises a pair of spaced straps 226 whichare fixed at their upper ends to handles 104 of gasoline engine 100 andare fixed at their opposite lower ends to T-bar 24. Thus, the steeringT-bar can be moved not only by foot pressure exerted by the operator onthe T-bar, but by hand pressure exerted by the operator on the handles104, thereby changing the direction of ski means 14.

To ensure that exhaust fumes from gasoline engine 100 do not reach theoperator, exhaust means, generally indicated by 250, is provided andcomprises a flexible tube 250 a, best seen in FIGS. 11 and 13, which isdetachably secured at its upper end to an exhaust port 251 of thegasoline engine and extends downwardly to a semi-circular springfastener 253 fixed to the forward edge of drive shaft mounting plate 50which has a complemental semi-circular notch 253 a therein for receivingand holding the lower end of the exhaust tube.

Thus, exhaust fumes are directed downwardly by the exhaust tube towardthe ice and away from the operator.

As with ice buggy 10, buggy drive shaft 26 is vertically disposedapproximately centrally of frame 212 forwardly of seat 22 and isjournaled at its lower end in flange bearing 49 which is fixed tomounting plate 50, which is mounted for longitudinal adjustment relativeto side rails 232 and 234 of frame 212.

Belt and pulley drive means 28 of ice buggy 10 is incorporated in itsentirety in ice buggy 100 with horizontally oriented drive pulley 58being secured to drive shaft 26; with vertically oriented followerpulley 60 being fixed to axle 20; and with belt 62 being entrainedaround pulleys 60 and 62. Tension on belt 62 may be adjusted by slidingmounting plate 50 longitudinally forwardly or rearwardly relative toframe side rails 232 and 234.

Also, gasoline engine 100, power auger 101 and ice auger 102 remainunchanged, with the gasoline engine and ice auger being detachablyinterconnected by stud 106 which extends through provided openings inmotor shaft 108 of gasoline engine 100 and through main shaft 110 of theice auger.

In addition, the means for connecting gasoline engine 100 to drive shaft26 remains the same. Following separation of engine 100 from power auger101, stud 106 is reinserted in motor shaft 108 and the motor shaft isinserted into central bore 66 of boss 64 and slid downwardly so thatstud 106 is engaged in slot 68, with downward movement being stoppedupon engagement of engine 100 with the upper face of boss 64.

Thus, when gasoline engine 100 is started, motor shaft 108 is rotatedcausing stud 106 to bear on slot 68 of boss 64 thereby setting upconcomitant rotation of ice buggy drive shaft 26 to drive belt andpulley drive means 28 to rotate axle 20 and wheels 16 and 18 to propelice buggy 200.

For the fisherman who already owns a power auger, the ice buggy of theinvention, in either of its embodiments, provides a very affordable andinexpensive form of transportation over snow and ice since it can besold without a gasoline engine.

1. An ice buggy for movement over a frozen body of water comprising: aframe; an axle mounted for rotation on the frame and having a pair ofspaced wheels mounted on opposite ends thereof; ski means mounted on theframe and depending therefrom; a seat for a driver mounted on the frame;steering means operatively connected to the ski means and engageable bythe driver for steering the ski means and the ice buggy; an ice buggydrive shaft mounted for rotation on the frame; drive means operativelyconnecting the drive shaft to the axle; a gasoline engine; an ice auger;and means for detachably connecting the gasoline engine to the ice augeror for detachably connecting the gasoline engine to the ice buggy driveshaft; the gasoline engine being operable in a first mode wherein it isconnected to the ice buggy drive shaft for rotating the drive shaft,axle and wheels for propelling the ice buggy over the frozen body ofwater, and being operable in a second mode wherein it is connected tothe ice auger for drilling holes in the frozen body of water.
 2. An icebuggy according to claim 1, wherein the drive means operativelyconnecting the ice buggy drive shaft to the axle comprises a pulley onthe drive shaft connected by a belt to a pulley on the axle.
 3. An icebuggy according to claim 1, wherein the ice buggy drive shaft isvertically disposed.
 4. An ice buggy according to claim 1, wherein thesteering means comprises a T-bar connected to the ski means andengageable by the feet of the driver and straps connected to thegasoline engine and the T-bar.
 5. An ice buggy according to claim 1,including means for directing exhaust gas emitted by the gasoline engineaway from the driver.
 6. An ice buggy according to claim 1, includingbrake means on the frame for manipulation by the driver for effectingbraking action of the ice buggy.
 7. An ice buggy according to claim 1,wherein the wheels are of such diameter as to maintain clearance betweenthe frame and the frozen body of water therebelow.
 8. An ice buggy formovement over a frozen body of water comprising: a frame having frontand rear ends; an axle mounted for rotation on the frame adjacent itsrear end and having a pair of wheels mounted on its opposite ends; skimeans mounted on the frame adjacent its front end and dependingtherefrom; a seat for a driver mounted on the frame intermediate thefront and rear ends; steering means comprising a T-bar operativelyconnected to the ski means and engageable by the feet of the driver forsteering the ski means and the ice buggy; an ice buggy drive shaftmounted for rotation on the frame forwardly of the seat; belt and pulleydrive means mounted on the frame for operatively connecting the icebuggy drive shaft to the axle; a gasoline engine; an ice auger; andmeans for detachably connecting the gasoline engine to the ice auger orfor detachably connecting the gasoline engine to the ice buggy driveshaft; whereby, the gasoline engine is operable in a first mode when itis connected to the ice buggy drive shaft for rotating the axle andwheels for propelling the ice buggy over the frozen body of water; andwhereby, the gasoline engine is operable in a second mode when it isconnected to the ice auger for drilling holes in the frozen body ofwater.
 9. An ice buggy according to claim 8, wherein the means fordetachably connecting the gasoline engine to the ice auger or fordetachably connecting the gasoline engine to the ice buggy drive shaftis a pin or stud.
 10. An ice buggy according to claim 9, wherein the pinor stud is selectively engageable in a motor shaft of the gasolineengine and a drive shaft of the auger, or is selectively engageable in aboss on the ice buggy drive shaft.